Waldorf Astoria Chicago vs Trump International Hotel and Tower

Comparing the Waldorf Astoria Chicago and the Trump International Hotel and Tower is interesting because they both stand in Chicago, IL, and were completed in the same year, but they were designed by different architects.

This offers a unique glimpse at how rival designers approached projects in the same city during the same era.

The Trump International Hotel and Tower is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 1181ft (360m) with 92 floors above ground, while the Waldorf Astoria Chicago reaches 686ft (209m) with 60 floors above ground.

Despite being taller and having more floors, Trump International Hotel and Tower has less total built-up area than Waldorf Astoria Chicago.

Of course, each project may have faced different briefs or regulatory constraints, which we don't really know about and could also explain the outcome.

Both the Waldorf Astoria Chicago and the Trump International Hotel and Tower were designed in line with the aesthetic conventions of the Contemporary style.

At the time, this style was at the height of its popularity. So both Lucien Lagrange Architects and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill followed what was in many ways expected of them, producing designs that fit comfortably within contemporary architectural norms, rather than breaking with convention.

Both towers follow a mixed-use program. The Waldorf Astoria Chicago combines residential and hotel, while the Trump International Hotel and Tower integrates hotel, residential and commercial. Notably, both include residential and hotel as part of their program.

Both towers incorporate hotels as part of their program. The Waldorf Astoria Chicago features a 5-star hotel with 178 rooms, while the Trump International Hotel and Tower includes a 5-star hotel with 339 rooms. For more details, see the official website of the Waldorf Astoria Chicago. You can also visit the official website of the Trump International Hotel and Tower.

In terms of capacity, the Waldorf Astoria Chicago offers 60 apartments, while the Trump International Hotel and Tower provides 486 units.

Both towers provide significant parking capacity, with Waldorf Astoria Chicago offering 121 spaces and the Trump International Hotel and Tower offering 960.

Both towers share the same structural solution, a Frame system.

A frame structure uses a grid of columns and beams to carry the building's loads. This frees the walls from structural duties, allowing for flexible floor plans and larger windows.

However, when it comes to the facade, both buildings use different approaches. The Waldorf Astoria Chicago uses a Masonry facade, while the Trump International Hotel and Tower uses a Curtain Wall facade.

A Masonry facade like the one seen in the Waldorf Astoria Chicago features a heavy masonry skin that gives it a more clasical look, while a curtain-wall facade like the one seen in the Trump International Hotel and Tower uses a lightweight glass curtain wall hung from the structure.